


Wish You Were Here

by iatethebiscuit



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Post-6x09, blood tw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2016-11-29
Packaged: 2018-09-03 01:23:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8691055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iatethebiscuit/pseuds/iatethebiscuit
Summary: Belle and Rumple talk. No apologies. No kissing. No making up. Just talking. And a tiny step forward.





	

It had only taken a few days, in the end. The blue fairy had been found in a cellar in the convent, kept alive by magic. She hadn’t been out in over 30 years. She told the tale of how the black fairy had overpowered her, taken her form, lived as her for decades before anyone thought to question it. By then, it was too late.

By then, she already had Gideon.

And so Belle found herself standing in front of her house. The place where she had spent her happiest days with Rumple. She longed for those days, the days where he had been a good man, but she knew she would never have that again. She wouldn’t fight for him. He had long since drained the fight out of her. All she wanted was her son, then she would be happy. He was all she needed.

She walked up the steps to the front door slowly. It smelled odd. Every part of her had abandoned the house, and now it was back to how it had been before she had come to live with him. It felt empty. 

“Rumple?” She called out as she knocked on the door. He hadn’t been seen since Gideon was born. She had checked his shop, but it was empty. Dust was beginning to gather on his wares. Others had tried to enter the house, but he had protected it. She understood the message. Nobody would speak to him, only her. He still wanted her back. If that was the price she had to pay for her son’s safety, so be it.

She frowned when there was no answer. She his shadow in the living room, she knew he was in there. “Rumple, open the door.” She called out. “If you love me or our son in any way, you’ll open the door.”

A few more minutes passed, but there was no movement behind the coloured glass. Maybe it wasn’t him after all. Maybe something had happened. She would have to find him, though. She had to find him to save her son. He would know what to do. She would convince him to be a hero.

With some effort she lifted a small, potted bush that stood beside the door. She took the key that lay under it, somewhat surprised he hadn’t moved it. Maybe he just hadn’t expected her to show up. It took some effort to open the door, as it always had. At some point, the familiarity of that would have startled her. Not today.

“I know you’re in here.” She said as she went inside, closing the door behind her. She had her phone in her pocket, Killian on speed-dial. Rumple couldn’t hurt her, not today. She was already broken. “I won’t say I’m surprised you disappeared, but I’m still disappointed.”

The house was familiar, but it didn’t feel like home anymore. She felt like an intruder as she went into the living room. There were books everywhere, tossed to the floor with little regard. Rumple was sitting on the rug in the middle of the room, his back to her, seemingly unaware that she was there.

“We need to save him.” She said. “Your mother took him, I assume you heard. Emma tried using a locating spell with Henry’s blood, but it didn’t work. It wasn’t strong enough.”

He remained quiet, and she might have thought he was dead if he didn’t turn the page he was reading. He didn’t even care. The room stank, she realised. It stank of sweat and urine. He was usually proper, this wasn’t like him. His hair was tied in knots, his shirt creased.

“For his sake, Rumple, you need to help us. You need to help us find him. God knows what that woman will do to him.”

He was confused by how desperate her voice was. He’d spent the last week in a haze, the only thing he was aware of the need to find his son. He had no intention of getting Belle back. Not after what she did. She could hurt him, he didn’t care. But seeing her inflict so much pain on their son had terrified him.

“Do you love him?” He asked softly. His voice was weak after not speaking for so long. He just didn’t understand. He didn’t think he ever would.

“Of course I love him.” She replied indignantly. “More than anything.”

“I don’t understand how you could leave him, knowing exactly what growing up without parents did to me. To Bae. And by God, if you don’t feel anything for us anymore, to Emma. How could you give him to someone who has no regard for him and call it love?” More than anything, he didn’t understand this. He didn’t understand how she could be so cruel. 

Belle’s jaw tightened. She’d only done this out of love, why couldn’t he see that? “I did everything I could to protect my child. He was in danger. I had no choice.”

He didn’t reply, his attention turning to his book again. He wasn’t sure if he loved her anymore, but he definitely didn’t care about her right now. Her feelings didn’t matter. He would find his son again. He didn’t see how they could be a happy family after this, but his boy needed his parents. He would give his life to make sure he didn’t grow up an orphan.

“You threatened his life, Rumple. You sped up my pregnancy so you could carry out your plans. What was I supposed to do?” She asked. His silence scared her a little. It was never good when Rumple was quiet. That meant he was plotting. She didn’t like that she couldn’t see his face.

“I never harmed you.” He whispered. “It doesn’t make a difference, but it wasn’t me. I would have protected him. After everything I went through to find Bae, to tell him I loved him one more time, how could you believe I would ever hurt our baby?”

She didn’t understand what he was saying. “You may not have gotten to use the shears yet, but the first part of your plan was perfectly executed.” She said. How dare he pretend he was innocent?

“What do you want, Belle?”

The way he said her name took her aback. There had always been love in it. Now, it was empty. Hollow. There was no pretence, no flourishes, no ‘Deary’. Maybe he had finally realised what he’d done.

“Emma thinks using your blood for the spell might help. A closer relative. Your mother has protected G… our son. We can’t find him, we need to find her.”

His head turned slightly at the mention of the start of his name. Somehow, it was proof that he was alive. That was not true, of course, but it was a tiny spark of hope. He was real. 

He pushed himself up, walking to the kitchen. He took a knife and a small bottle. He cut his arm, a small stream of blood pouring into the glass. He could sense Belle entering the kitchen after him, and he moved his arm over the sink, stoppering the bottle. He took a paper towel and held it against the cut, pushing the bottle towards her. If it could help them find their son, it was worth a try.

Belle stilled when she saw him properly. He was pale, his eyes bloodshot, dark circles under them. He looked human. He looked like how she felt. Most of all, he looked defeated. Like he’d given up hope. She could feel something tugging on her heart, but she quenched it quickly. This man had driven her to send her son away.

She took a deep breath, taking the small bottle. “Thank you.” She said softly. She wasn’t sure what else there was to say. She had no more business here. She brushed past him on her way to the door, but she halted. She had never seen him like this. Even when he was held captive, he had fire in his eyes.

She took a few deep breath, not quite believing what she was doing. This man was not her love anymore, but he was still the father of her son.

“Gideon.” She whispered, turning back to look at him. She saw him tense, a deep agony crossing his face. “That’s his name.”

Rumple locked the knowledge deep in a vault in his heart. Gideon. He had been praying for his safety since he was born, and this was an anchor. Gideon. It was a good name. Strong. Like Baelfire. His eyes grew wet as he looked at Belle, a tear dropping down his cheek. Gideon. He had to find his boy.

“Thank you.” He said, so softly that he might not have said it at all. 

For a moment, Belle saw the man she had loved again. Her Rumple. A good man. Someone who would fight for his family, not try to hurt his child. She had missed that man. 

“Have you slept?” She asked, not sure why. Maybe she needed to know he was okay.

“Have you?” He returned.

She hadn’t, of course. For a split second, she didn’t care that he had tried to hurt her son. He was hurting, just like her. “When you said you never harmed me.” She started softly. “What did you mean?”

He closed his eyes. It didn’t matter. It didn’t matter who it had been, his son was gone. Gideon was gone. “The evil queen stole my magic.” He said. “She sped up your pregnancy. I only came to protect you both from her.”

The words didn’t quite sink in. That wasn’t possible. In the library, he’d shown her. He’d told her what he was going to do. And then it happened, there was no way it wasn’t him. Intuitively, though, she knew he was telling the truth. He was her husband, she’d been lied to so many times that she knew how to spot it by now.

She didn’t know how to react. How did one react to knowing they sent their child away with an evil woman for no reason? She felt disgusted, like she was going to throw up, like she wanted to tear herself apart. Her son was gone. There had been no danger.

With a few steps, she was with him, her arms around him, her face against his shirt. He smelled horrid, but she didn’t care. Not right now. They had lost their son. That didn’t bring back her love for him, that didn’t change that she was angry. But he knew how she felt right now. His arms came around her after some hesitation, and they cried together. She wasn’t sure if she wanted him back, and she knew the same went for him. But none of that mattered. They had lost their son, and there was only one way to find him: together.


End file.
